Page 41: of Marine News Magazine (July 2021)

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Vessels

Aurora/Qamun

Crowley recently took delivery of its new 55,000-barrel, articu- lated tug-barge (ATB), the Aurora/Qamun. The 410-foot vessel is the second ATB in Crowley’s ? eet, after the Aveogan/Oliver Leavitt, to be dedicated to the Alaska market. The ATB is specially designed to add ef? ciency and range to transport clean petroleum products for Crowley Fuels, the company’s Alaska-based business unit.

Master Boat Builders of Coden, Ala., constructed the tug, and the barge was built by Gunderson Marine LLC, a wholly-owned

Crowley subsidiary of the Greenbrier Companies, Inc., in Portland, Ore.

Out? tted with EPA Tier IV engines for reduced emissions, the ATB has a range of 4,300 miles to access most locations in Alaska. The vessel also features Z-drive propulsion and 400-horsepower bow thrusters, allowing it to move smoothly in tight areas. The Aurora/Qamun meets Ice Class and Polar Code requirements, which include increased structural framing, shell plating, and extended zero-discharge endurance with shallow water capability.

Admiral Nimitz

Texas-based dredging contractor Callan Marine released a ten- der package to build what it said will be the nation’s largest capacity trailing suction hopper dredge, scheduled to enter service in 2023.

The new dredge, to be named the Admiral Nimitz, will have an overall length of 422 feet, a breadth of 92 feet and a hopper capac- ity of 16,000 cubic yards. The diesel-electric powered Nimitz will have a maximum draft of 28.8 feet, a maximum dredging depth of 100 feet in the short dredge pipe con? guration and 130 feet in the long dredge pipe con? guration. It will accommodate a crew of 28.

Callan Marine

Rachael Allen

Foss Maritime’s newest vessel is said to be the ? rst U.S.-? ag harbor tug to inte- grate autonomous systems in real-world commercial operations.

Launched in April and delivered in May 2021, the newly built 90-ton bol- lard pull Rachael Allen—the fourth in a series of ASD-90 Z-drive tractor tugs being built at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, in Freeland, Wash.—features

Sea Machines Robotics’ SM300 autonomous-command and -control system.

The system’s capabilities include transit autonomy, as well as remote access of the tugboat’s onboard machinery, a feature that allows personnel to manage

Foss Maritime and support operations from anywhere on board the vessel or from shore.

Navigation obstacle detection and avoidance capabilities also come standard.

The 100-foot-long tug has been deployed in California, where it will provide tanker escort and ship assists. And while the Rachael Allen was delivered with the SM300 and supporting hardware fully integrated, the capability of the technol- ogy will be activated in stepped phases over the course of six to nine months to ensure full visibility and acceptance from all operational stakeholders.

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